


Third Time's a Charm

by nihilistshiro



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, First Date, Fluff, Gender-Neutral Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, M/M, Single dad Shiro, shance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-07
Updated: 2019-09-07
Packaged: 2020-10-11 11:54:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20545736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nihilistshiro/pseuds/nihilistshiro
Summary: Lance gets dumped at an amusement park, but when he goes alone on a ride, he ends up meeting a really sweet kid who introduces him to his single dad—Shiro.





	Third Time's a Charm

**Author's Note:**

  * For [renten](https://archiveofourown.org/users/renten/gifts).

> Thank you so, so much to the lovely renten!! ([@UsagiYoongi](https://twitter.com/UsagiYoongi) on Twitter), who requested write this! <3<3
> 
> The original AU was based on a Twitter thread, so this is a continuation.

PROLOGUE

_Lance wasn’t expecting to get dumped on his trip to Altea World, but that’s exactly how he finds himself. Alone. He ends up on a ride with a kid named Avi, who was there with his (single) dad._

_Avi is cute and funny and Lance is a natural with kids, so they become fast friends. When the ride ends, Avi drags Lance off to meet his dad, Shiro._

_They get lemonade and funnel cake and explore the park as a unit, talking about anything and everything until the sun begins to fade. Shiro carries a sleeping Avi to the park’s exit, trying to slow his pace so he doesn’t have to say goodbye._

_'I really wasn’t expecting today,’ Shiro says._

_‘Thank you for everything.'_

_‘You’re welcome,’ Lance replies, blushing, and more than a little uncertain what to do next._

_Before he can worry, Shiro shifts the sleeping child into his other arm, fishing his phone out of his pocket._

_‘I know this might be too soon, but can I have your number?’_

_Lance grins, taking the phone and tapping his information in._

_‘Maybe we can get together next week?’ he asks, handing the phone back and watching the colors of the sunset splash over Shiro’s white hair._

_‘Definitely.’_

* * *

Lance parked his car along the curb, checking his phone to make sure he had the address right before stepping out into the cool, late summer night.

It was a nice, quiet neighborhood with modest houses and decent-sized yards—exactly the kind of place to raise a family. Shiro’s house looked like a cottage, nestled between two more modern homes. It had a brick path leading up to the front door and an array of plants on the porch and in window boxes.

A light above the door gathered a few sleepy moths who floated about its brightness. Every few seconds one bumped its hot surface to make a little ping sound. Lance cleared his throat, composing himself to face Shiro, or as Hunk had referred to him when Lance told the story of how they met, Hot Amusement Park Guy.

Lance rang the doorbell, and when Shiro opened the front door to greet him, Lance felt like the moths were fluttering in his stomach.

Shiro was wearing a chambray shirt, the top two buttons undone to expose a hint of skin beneath his throat. His white hair was pushed back from his face, his smile cutting to Lance’s core.

“Hey,” Shiro said, and the moths in Lance’s stomach flipped.

“Hey, yourself.”

“Come on in.”

Lance took off his shoes and followed Shiro inside. The wood floors were worn and gave the house a rustic feel. The walls were sparsely decorated—a row of hooks with a big coat and several smaller ones lined up, a large photo of an old chocolate lab in the hall.

Shiro led them to the kitchen, where his son, Avi, was sitting at the table. A person with copper hair and wire-framed glasses was sitting next to the boy, helping him color in a book filled with pictures of planets and stars.

“Alright, we’re gonna head out.” Avi looked up from the table with a frown. “Oh, don’t give me that face. Pidge is here to take care of you and they’re gonna stay till Papa gets back.”

Pidge ruffled Avi’s hair.

“Thanks, again, Pidge,” Shiro said, grabbing his wallet and phone from the counter. “I owe you one.”

“You owe me a six-pack of cider. Aren’t you gonna introduce me to your date.”

Shiro chuckled. “Pidge, this is Lance. Lance, Pidge.”

Lance rounded the table to shake their outstretched hand.

“Nice to meet you.”

“Likewise,” Pidge said, their golden eyes sparking with mischief. “Make sure you have him back before midnight or he’ll turn into a pumpkin.”

“Papa is a punkin?” Avi asked and Lance grinned.

“I’ll let you field that one, Pidgey,” Shiro said. He walked over to his son and bent down to kiss his dark mop of hair. “Love you, bug. See you soon.”

“Love you too, Papa. Don’t be punkin, ‘kay?”

“I’ll do my best,” Shiro said, grabbing Lance’s hand and pulling him from the room.

“Bye!” Lance said as they left, slipping on his shoes.

“So, where are we headed?” Shiro asked.

“There’s a new restaurant downtown. Supposed to have an amazing drink menu. I figured we could do drinks and maybe some food and then hit up a show my friend is playing at the Quiznak Lounge.”

“Fancy,” Shiro said, sliding into the passenger seat of Lance’s car.

Small talk was surprisingly easy between them, the car filled with laughter as they shared stories.

Shiro’s hand was resting on the center console and Lance reached over, lacing their fingers together, letting the warmth of Shiro’s skin seep into him.

They found a spot in a parking garage and walked to the restaurant, which was packed for a Saturday night.

“We don’t have anything inside,” the host said when they entered, “but I can seat you outside now if you’d like.”

“That works for me,” Lance said and Shiro nodded in agreement.

It was the first time Shiro had been on a date since his last, disastrous attempt two years ago. His husband, Adam, passed away in a car accident, leaving Shiro and Avi to muddle through together. He told Lance the story, explaining how he’d tried to ‘get back out there,’ only to realize that he was way out of touch with the dating scene.

“It’s hard to date, even in a city like this.”

“I knew it wasn’t gonna be easy, but man, I had some horrible first dates.”

“How’s this one measuring up so far?” Lance asked, taking a sip of his drink.

Shiro couldn’t keep the hunger out of his gaze as it raked over Lance’s face, the smooth column of his throat, the way the fabric of his black shirt clung to his muscled chest and arms.

“So far? Couldn’t be better.”

Lance flushed and Shiro tracked the color blossoming across his cheeks.

They were almost done with their drinks, ready to order another round, when the entire restaurant went black, as did the other few businesses on that block.

“What the hell?”

“Seems like a power outage.”

“Well, shit.”

The waitress came to the table. “Looks like we’ve had an outage on the entire block and it’s not gonna clear up anytime soon. Drinks are on the house, but we have to close up.”

Lance downed the rest of his drink and Shiro followed suit.

“I guess it’s time to hit the club. We should get there before the kitchen closes.”

“Sounds good to me,” Shiro said.

They held hands as Lance navigated them to their next stop.

“So much has changed,” Shiro said, staring at the different buildings as they passed by. “I can’t remember the last time I actually went out downtown.”

“It’s really come up in the past few years.”

“Yeah.”

“Single-dadding it must be tough, but you’re doing an awesome job. Avi is so smart and kind. He’s lucky to have you.”

Shiro squeezed Lance’s hand. “Thank you. I think I’m lucky to have him.”

It was early enough that there was no line outside the club. Lance and Shiro went inside and found a high table along the wall with a good view of the stage.

“So, what type of music does your friend play?” Shiro asked as he looked over a menu.

“Well, she’s a singer and they mostly do blues and soul. Her voice is amazing. Like butter.”

Shiro laughed.

“Speak of the devil,” Lance murmured, looking over Shiro’s shoulder.

Shiro turned and saw a tall, beautiful woman with white hair that surrounded her head in a halo of curls.

“Do you mind?” Lance asked, standing from the table.

“Not at all.”

Shiro watched as Lance went over and the woman pulled him into a hug, ignoring the spike of jealousy that tingled under his skin.

It was only a first date, but Shiro was already beginning to think of Lance as his.

Lance pointed to their table and the woman nodded.

“Allura, this is Shiro.”

Shiro stood up. “Nice to meet you.”

“The pleasure is mine,” Allura replied, taking Shiro’s hand. “We match!”

She pointed to her hair and Shiro grinned.

“Sure do. Not a common look for someone our age.”

“That’s what makes it special. I’ll let you two get back to your evening. Enjoy the show!”

They sat back down at their table as Allura wandered off backstage.

“She seems nice.”

“She’s a goddess. She was a huge help to me a while back when my ADHD got real bad. I don’t think I would have graduated college without her.”

“Is that where you met?”

“Yeah. She was an RA in my dorm. We’ve stayed in touch over the years.”

Shiro’s face softened. “It’s nice that you have someone looking out for you.”

“Yeah,” Lance said with a shy smile. “My family is huge and they’re great and all, but sometimes they think they know what’s best for me. Ok, most of the time.”

“I get that. My parents wanted me to move home after Adam died, but I’d already built a life here.”

Shiro’s phone buzzed on the table, making them both start.

“Shit,” he muttered. “It’s Pidge. They said Avi’s throwing a tantrum and it is not going well. So much for my kid being well-behaved.”

“Hey, don’t sweat it. Kids are kids. Sometimes they freak out. I’ve got twelve nieces and nephews. I totally get it.”

Shiro looked at Lance with gratitude shining in his eyes. “I’m sorry I have to cut our date short.”

Lance took a moment before he spoke. “If it’s okay with you, why don’t we just grab some burgers on the way and eat at your place?”

“You really wanna eat dinner with a grumpy gremlin waiting for us at home?”

Lance’s lips curled in a grin. “I can’t think of anything else I’d rather be doing.”

Shiro was rendered speechless, so he only nodded. Lance went to the bar to pay their tab and a few minutes later they were on the road.

After swinging through a drive-thru, they went back to Shiro’s house.

“I hope this isn’t weird, but I brought something for Avi,” Lance said, reaching into the back seat and pulling out a book called _Stellaluna_. “It was one of my favorites growing up.”

Shiro took the book, felt the weight of it in his hands, and had to blink back tears. He didn’t know how to react to Lance’s kindness.

“Thank you,” he said, voice thick. “That’s so thoughtful.”

“It’s the least I can do,” Lance replied. “After all, he did introduce us.”

Together they walked up the brick path and entered the house, where they were greeted with Avi’s cries.

Lance went to the kitchen to unpack the food while Shiro made his way to Avi’s room to try and quell the beast.

“Sorry about this,” Pidge said, coming into the kitchen to grab their stuff.

“Hey, no worries,” Lance said cheerfully. “It happens to the best of us. Oh, Shiro said this is for you.”

He handed them a chocolate milkshake.

“Thanks!” Pidge said with a smile. “See you later.”

“Later.”

After a few minutes the crying had stopped and Shiro came into the kitchen.

“Well, hopefully, he stays asleep for a little while.”

“It’s all good. Wanna eat in here?”

“Let’s take it to the other room. Maybe we can put on a movie or something?”

“Sounds perfect.”

They situated themselves on Shiro’s sofa, the Great British Bake Off playing in the background as they ate.

“Not exactly what I had in mind to woo you, but I’m not mad about it,” Lance said, sipping some of his soda.

“Third time’s a charm,” Shiro said with a smile.

Lance grinned and their eyes locked, french fries and burgers forgotten on the coffee table.

“I had a good time tonight,” Shiro said.

“Anytime,” Lance teased, setting down his drink.

They were leaning into each other, their legs pressed together from knee to hip.

“Can I...”

Before Lance could get the question out, Shiro closed the distance and pressed their mouths together. Shiro melted against him, his arms winding around Lance’s neck.

He wanted more but forced himself to pull back, drinking in Lance’s hooded gaze.

“We should do this again sometime,” Lance said, voice gravelly.

“Definitely.”

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed it :) 
> 
> You can find me on Twitter! [@nihilistshiro](https://twitter.com/NihilistShiro)


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